How to Call and Message Friends Using Your Amazon Echo

Alexa is nice to have for controlling your smarthome and asking varied questions, however she will additionally name and message your folks and household. Right here’s the way it works and how to set it up.

First, you’ll want to replace the Alexa app to the newest model, so in the event you haven’t already, head to the app retailer in your cellphone and get the replace in the event you haven’t up to date the app inside the previous couple of weeks.

Subsequent, open up the Alexa app, and you’ll be greeted with an introduction to the brand new calling and messaging function. Faucet on “Get Began” on the backside to proceed. If you happen to’ve already gone by means of the setup course of for this, skip to the following part.

On the following display screen, choose your identify.

Affirm your identify and then hit “Proceed” on the backside.

You’ll now want to give the Alexa app permission to entry your cellphone’s contacts. That is the way you’ll name and message different individuals utilizing your Echo. Faucet on “Enable” to proceed.

Subsequent, enter in your cellphone quantity to affiliate together with your Echo and then faucet “Proceed”. At any time when somebody out of your cellphone’s contacts additionally units up this function on their Echo, they’ll routinely seem within the contacts record within the Alexa app. That is additionally how your cellphone quantity reveals up on a buddy’s caller ID once you name their cellphone out of your Echo.

After you enter in your cellphone quantity, you’ll be despatched a verification code. Enter in that code on the following display screen and hit “Proceed”.

As soon as that’s completed, you’ll be taken to the Conversations display screen within the Alexa app. That is the place your whole messages will seem, comparable to the conversations display screen inside your cellphone’s default textual content messaging app.

To entry the record of contacts that you may message utilizing the Alexa app or your Echo, faucet on the particular person define up within the top-right nook.

On this display screen, you’ll see your whole contacts which have Echo calling and messaging arrange.

How to Call Somebody

There are two methods that you may name somebody: utilizing your Echo or Alexa app to name another person’s Echo, or utilizing your Echo to name another person’s cellphone.

To name somebody utilizing the Alexa app, go to the contacts display screen, choose a contact, and faucet on the cellphone button. The recipient’s Echo will mild up and make a chime noise, in addition to announce who’s calling. Their cellphone may even ring by way of the Alexa app, however they’ll reply your name on both machine, both by saying “Alexa, reply name” or simply accepting the decision on their cellphone utilizing the Alexa app.

To make a name hands-free utilizing your Echo, simply say “Alexa, name Dave” (or whoever it’s you need to name). Nonetheless, that is the place issues can get a bit difficult.

If the particular person you’re calling is listed in your contacts within the Alexa app in addition to in your cellphone’s contacts, it’ll default to calling their Echo and Alexa app. If that particular person is just not in your Alexa contacts however is in your cellphone’s contacts, it’ll name their cellphone and look identical to a daily cellphone name, full together with your identify and cellphone quantity displaying up on their caller ID—the one distinction is that you simply’ll be speaking to them in your Echo relatively than your cellphone.

If you happen to don’t need Alexa defaulting to calling somebody’s Echo and would relatively name their cellphone as an alternative, you may say one thing like “Alexa, name Dave cell” as an alternative of simply “name Dave”.

If you’d like to make a cellphone name by means of your Echo however the particular person or enterprise you need to name is just not in your cellphone’s contacts, you may simply say “Alexa, name 555-555-5555” and it’ll dial that quantity.

In any case, to finish a name, you may both look ahead to the opposite occasion to grasp up, or you may simply say “Alexa, grasp up”.

Additionally, needless to say you can not obtain common cellphone calls by means of your Echo—you may solely make cellphone calls in the interim. Hopefully this modifications within the close to future.

How to Message Somebody

Messaging is a bit totally different than calling within the sense that you may’t ship textual content messages to somebody’s cellphone quantity by means of the Alexa app or your Echo—you may solely ship messages to different Alexa customers. Nonetheless, there are two methods to do that: utilizing the Alexa app or utilizing your Echo machine.

To message somebody utilizing the Alexa app, go to the contacts display screen, choose a contact, and faucet on the message button.

This may begin a brand new dialog web page with that contact if there isn’t one already. From there, you may both faucet on the microphone button to file a voice message or hit the keyboard button and kind out a message.

To ship a voice message to somebody utilizing your Echo, say “Alexa, message Dave” (or, once more, whoever it us you need to message).

As soon as acquired, the recipient’s Echo will mild up and make a chime noise, however Alexa gained’t announce that there’s a message (in contrast to how she does when there’s a name). Nonetheless, they’ll additionally obtain a notification on their cellphone and can view or hear to the message throughout the Alexa app. They will additionally reply throughout the app as effectively.

From there, the recipient simply has to say “Alexa, play message” and it’ll play your voice message. If you happen to typed out your message as an alternative, Alexa herself will transcribe it and say your message aloud utilizing her personal voice.